Easter is celebrated by Christians in the Middle East to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and it is called (عيد القيامة) or (عيد الفصح). It is usually preceded by a week of praying and special ceremonies, e.g. Palm Sunday (أحد الزعف), Good Friday (الجمعة الحزينة), Ash Wednesday (أربعاء الرماد), Thursday (خميس العهد), Easter Saturday (سبت النور) and Easter Sunday (عيدالقيامة).

A good greeting for Christians on Easter would

عيد سعيدوقيامة مجيدة!

Easter is also an ancient Egyptian occasion. It has been celebrated for more 5000 years, and it is still celebrated today. In Arabic it is called (شم النسيم), and it celebrates harvest time and the beginning of spring. People celebrate (شم النسيم) outdoors by going out to parks or to the countryside. In the morning, children color eggs and eat them for breakfast. For lunch, people usually have salted fish (السمك المملح / الفسيخ) and leafy green vegetables. At night, there are special concerts, and they are usually broadcast live on radio and television.

A general Egyptian greeting for special occasions like Easter is:

كل سنة وانت طيب!

Many people now question the way Easter has been celebrated , especially in relation to eating salted fish which carry some health concerns. The following report deals with the views of some people about this habit.  Both standard Arabic and Egyptian Colloquial are used in the report,